Circular knitting machine



Aug- 17, 1965 s. J. HADDAD 3,200,617

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec, 24. 1962 A sheets-sheet 1 ummm frz. Z sua/w40 .zA/400,40

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CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 24, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug' 17, 1965 s. J. HADDAD 3,200,617 y CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 24, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

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S. J. HADDAD CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Aug. 17, 1965 '4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 24, 1962 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent O ,Ziiihoi' CiRCULAR KNlTll'lNG MACHINE Saioinao li. Haddad, Charlotte, N., assigner to Carolina Knitting Machine Corporation, a corporation of North Caroiina Filed Dee. 24, 1962, Ser. No. 247,475 l0 Ciaims. (Ci. e-tl) The present invention relates to a circular knitting machine, and more particularly to an improvement for providing effective high speed knitting with a circular knitting machine whereby the machine functions with practical results at speeds substantially higher than the speeds to which circular knitting machines have heretofore been limited necessarily to avoid malfunctioning and unsuitable results.

Substantially increased knitting speeds have been possible as a result of the yarn control provided by the measured stitch invention disclosed and claimed in my prior U.S. Patent No. 3,054,278, issued September 18, 1962, entitled Knitting Method and Means and Product Formed Thereby, and the stitch cam construction disclosed and claimed in my copending U.S. patent application Serial No. 193,234, filed May 8, 1962, entitled Knitting Method and Means. However, in pattern knitting there remain serious limitations to adequate control of the knitting machine components during high speed operation, as the complex pattern mechanisms and intricate manipulations of the machine elements accentuate the difficulties of controlling and properly positioning the elements at high speed. It is to this problem of pattern knitting at high speed that the present'invention is especially applicable.

Briefly described, the present invention is an improvement in a circular knitting machine capable of knitting patterns by control of needles with selector jacks carried on the needle cylinder and manipulated by selector fingers that are actuated selectively by a selector drum that intermittently advances stepwise for actuation of selector fingers in a predetermined pattern. The improvement of the present invention includes a stabilizing cam that engages and positions the selector jacks in proper position for manipulation by the selector fingers and stabilizes the selector jacks in proper position during manipulation so that irregularly positioned selector jacks will be properly repositioned and all selector jacks will be positively positioned for proper functioning as they pass through the manipulation area. A stop member is provided for movement in and out of peripheral recesses. in the selector drum to positively stop each advance of the drum without override even at high speeds where the inertia of the advancing drum is substantial and would, were it not for the stop member, cause the drum to advance beyond its proper sequential position with a resulting malfunction of the pattern control. The needles that are controlled by the selector jacks in response to the selector drum pattern have latches pivoted in cheek portions for out ward pivoting with the cheek portions having enlarged surfaces substantially displaced outwardly of the latch pivots to provide substantial leverage for yarn loops to overcome the centrifugal force urging the latches outwardly at high speeds as the loops pass over the cheek portion surfaces to open and close the latches.

The stabilizing cam of the present invention has a selector jack engaging and positioning surface in advance of the area in which the selector jacks are selectively manipulated by the selector fingers, and a stabilizing surface extending through the manipulation area. In the preferred embodiment the engaging and positioning surface is inclined toward the manipulation area to maintain positive engagement of the selector jacks for presentation 3,2%,5 if? Patented Aug. l?, i965 "ice of the selector jacks in proper position to the manipulation area. Also this engaging and positioning surface has an outward declination away from the selector jacks for mating with complementary surfaces on the jacks to positively retain the selector jacks in cam engagement. The combination of inclination in the direction of selector jack advancement and of outward declination completes the proper positioning of partially misaligned selector jacks after the cam makes initial contact as the declining jack butt will be drawn intofull engagement with the cam surface as it advances up the inclination of the surface. in addition, the cam is initially spaced downwardly below normal selector jack engagement for receipt of irregularly positioned selector jacks. Thus, the stabilizing cam provides positive control of the selector jacks for proper positioning during manipulation, in an area in which heretofore no such positive control has been provided, with the result that the selector jacks will function properly even at high speeds. f

The aforementioned stop member of the present invention is controlled for movement in and out of stopping engagement with the selector drum by means operating in complementary timed relation to the intermittent advancement of the drum. This is accomplished in the preferred embodiment by an operating linkage connected to the reciprocating mechanism that operates the drum so that the time relationship is positively maintained. Thus, positive high speed control is provided whereheretofore a simple friction brake has been used, which provided no positive control, especially at high speeds where the inertia of the drum overcomes the force of the friction brake, allowing the drum to slip past its proper selector finger actuating position. Further, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention the stop member is advantageously arranged for engagement between the pattern jacks carried by the drum so that the drumv itself need not be modified in any respect to adopt it for control by the stop member of the present invention.

From the above it is apparent that the stop member positively controls the selector drum to assure proper functioning at high speeds for proper manipulation of the selector jacks, which are positively controlled by the stabilizing cam for proper functioning at high speeds to control the needles, which are formed with enlarged cheek surfaces so that yarn loops can manipulate the needle latches at high speeds. Thus the stop member, stabilizing cam and needle construction of the present invention all cooperate to provide effective functioning of a circular knitting machine for pattern knitting at high speeds.

In addition, the uninvolved mounting of the stabilizing cam and stop member on a knitting machine, the functioning of the stop member in relation to existing pattern jacks and by the existing drum operating mechanism, and the simple substitution of the present needles for existing needles all combine to provide a simple and inexpensivel improvement that can be readily incorporated in an existing knitting machine Without significant modification of the existing components.

With regard to the needle construction of the present invention, I had found that with conventional needles loops would break during high speed knitting, and I made the heretofore unrecognized discovery that the centrifugal force of the needle latches during high speed rotation urged the latches outwardly between open and closed positions and resisted the action of yarn loops to move the latches to either open or closed position to such an extent that at times the yarn was not strong enough to overcome the force of the latches, resulting in breakage of the yarn and defects in the fabric. To overcome this the present needle construction was devised to provide increased leverage for the yarn loops in acting against the latch.

Thus the cheek portion is formed with an enlarged surface displaced outwardly to increase the spacing of the loops from the latch pivot. In the preferred embodiment the needle is further constructed with the latch pivot offset inwardly adjacent the inner edge of the needle to increase additionally the spacing between the pivot and loops. Also in the preferred embodiment the hook of the needle is substantially elongated downwardly t-o assure retention of yarn loops therein as the yarn loops move somewhat unpredictably during manipulation at high speeds.

' It should be noted that the advantages of the needle construction of the present invention to provide highV Y rated;

FIG. 2 is an elevational viewof the pattern mechanism of FIG. .1 as viewed looking outwardly from the center of the knitting machine;

FIG. 3 is a top plan View of the pattern mechanism of FIGS. 1 and 2;`

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the selector drum of the pattern mechanism of the preceding figures taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5 through 8 are enlargements of a portion of FIG. 4 showing the elements progressively positioned during operation for positively stopping movement of the selector drum after each intermittent advance thereof;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged elevational view of the selector jack leveling cam and stabilizing cam included in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 10 through 15 are vertical sectional views taken along the correspondingly numbered lines in FIGS. 2 and 9 and showing the various stages of selector jack manipulation by the pattern mechanism and cams;

FIG. 16 is an lenlarged side elevational view of the upper portion of a needle embodying the construction of the present invention, illustrating in solid lines a yarn loop about to engage the needle latch to move the latch upwardly into closed position, and illustrating in dot-dash lines a yarn loop about to engage the needle latch and move it downwardly to closed position;

FIG. 17 is a view similar to FIG. 16 showing the yarn loop positioning the latch in open position;

FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 16 and illustrating the yarn loop holding the latch in closed position;

FIG. 19 is a view of the hook portion of the needle of FIG. 16 showing a yarn loop and a yarn end in the hook of the needle` during knitting of a tuck stitch; and

FIG. 2O is a view similar to FIG. 19 showing a yarn loop loosely positioned within the hook of the needle.

For purposes of illustration only, the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described below as incorporated in a Scott & Williams model KN, 3% cylinder, 40G-needle, circular knitting machine. However, it should be understood that the present invention is applicable to various other types and makes of circular knitting machines as well. In this Scott & Williams model KN machine, yarn is knit into fabric by the manipulation of needles 3i) and sinkers 31. (see FIGS. 14 and 15) by cams (not shown) in a conventional manner. The machine includes a pattern mechanism 32 that controls positioning the needles prior to conventional manipulation of the needles upwardly to slide the drawn loop over the open latch to permit subsequent castanode-r1.7

ing off. With this pattern mechanism 32 selected needles are positioned for subsequent raising to a limited height (FIG. 17) sothat the loops do not pass off of the open latch and will return into the hook ofthe needle as the subsequent loop is being drawn (FIG. 19), thereby forming a tucked stitch in a pre-selected pattern in the fabric.

Control of the needles 30hy the pattern mechanism 32 is accomplished through selector jacks 33 in the slots 42 of the needle cylinder 34 that also carry the needles, with the selector jacks 33 located below the needles and spaced therefrom by intermediate cylinder jacks 35. The selector jacks 33 are raised by engagement with a jack operating cam 36` (see FIG; 2) so that the selector jacks 33V engage the cylinder jacks 35. As the selector jacks 33 and cylinder jacks 35 continue to rise, the cylinder jacks 35 engage the bottoms 49' of the needles 3d to raise the needles high enough for the yarn loops to pass off of `the open latches for subsequent shedding of the loops when the need-les are again lowered below the level of the loops.

The pattern mechanism 32 operates to avoid raising of selected needles by pivoting selected selector jacks out of position for engagement with the jack operating cam 36 so that the selected selector jacks will not be raised by the jack operating cam 36 Vand therefore will not cause the cylinder jacks 3S to rise, with the result that the selected needles will not be raised suiliciently to pass the yarn loops off of the needle latches.

Pivoting of the selectorvj-acks-SS Vis accomplished by forming the selector jacks with an innery edge having an upper por-tion 43 at a slight outward inclination with respect to a lower portion 44, with the portions intersecting at a pivot point 45 so that when the upper portion 43 is positioned against the bottom of the needle cylinder slot 42 the bottom butt 46 of the 'selector jack 33 will be positioned outwardly for engagement with the jackoperating cam 36, and when the lower portion 44 of the selector jack 33 is positioned against the bottom of the needle cylinder slot 42, the bottom butt 46 will be positioned inwardly out of position for'engagement by the jack operating cam 36, as illustrated in dot-dash lines at the bottom of FIG. 15.

The selector jacks 33 are selectively pivoted to nonoperating position by a bank of vertically aligned selector fingers-47 mounted for individual pivoting on a common vertical shaft 4S extending between the lower bed pla-te 49 and upper bed plate 53 of the knitting machine. Each of the selector fingers 47 has a selector jack engaging end Sti that extends inwardly toward the selector jack 33 for engagement of control butts 51 of the selector jacks 33 upon pivoting of the selector finger to move the selector jack engaging end 50 intov 4the path of the control butts 51. The control butts 51 on different selector jacks 33 are at differ-ent levels for engagement by different selector fingers 47 so that upon pivoting of a particular selector linger' d'7 only those selector jacks 33 having control butts 5I aligned with the selector finger will be engaged and pivotted lto a non-operating position, the other jacks traveling past the selector linger and remaining in position for operating engagement by the aforementioned jack operating cam 36. Y

Pivoting of all of the selector fingers 47, except the bottom two fingers, which are auxiliaryselector ngers ,manipulated from the main knitting machine controls for control of needles during forming of the make-up courses and other special courses, is controlled by a selector drum 52 mounted for rotation yon a vertical shaft 54 extending between the lowery bed plate di? and upper bed lplate-53. adjacent the selector fingers 47. The selec-- tor drum 52 carries patternV jacks 55 in slots S5 about its; cylindrical surface. These pattern jacks 5S have pat-v terning butts 57 extending outwardlyV from the ysurface of' the selector drum V51?." for engagement with operating butts 58 extending from the selector fingers 47 so that when a patterning butt 57 of a pattern jack 55 is positioned at an operating butt 5S of a selector finger 47 the selector;

finger will be held -in a non-operating position with the selector jack engaging end Sil of the selector finger out of the path of the control butts 5l on the selector jacks 33, and when a pattern jack 55 having no patterning butt 57 at the level of a particular selector finger 47 is positioned at the selector finger operating butt 5S, that selector finger will move inwardly of the selector drum 52 with a resulting pivoting of the selector jack engaging end 50 of the selector finger into the path of control butts 51 on the selector jacks 33 for manipulation of selected selector jacks into non-operating position. The selector fingers 47 are maintained in following contact with the pattern jacks 55 of the selector drum 52 by springs S9 attached to a fixed post 6@ and to the selector fingers so as to urge the selector fingers toward the selector drum 32. In FIG. 3 the top selector finger is shown in non-manipulating position and the visible portions of a lower finger indicate the manipulating position.

The selector drum 52 is intermittently advanced stepwise to position the pattern jacks 55 sequentially at the selector finger butts 58 by reciprocation of a racking pawl 61 in engagement with teeth on a rack wheel 62 at the bottom of the selector drum S2. The racking pawl 61 extends from a racking rod 63 that is pivoted in an oscillating yoke 641. The racking pawl 61 is maintained in yieldable Contact with the rack wheel 62 by a spring 65 connected `to the racking rod 63 and to the lower bed plate 49. The yoke 64 is oscillated to reciprocate the racking pawl 6l by a connecting rod ed operated from a conventional control gear (not shown) of the knitting machine in a conventional, manner.

The racking pawl 6l is maintained against vertical movement by a pawl holddown bracket 79 that engages the top surface of the racking rod d3 and holds it down while permitting it to slide thereunder. v A friction brake member 7l of fiber material is positioned in a bracket 72 above the selector drum 52 with the friction brake 71 extending downwardly into contact with the top plate 73 of the selector drum 52. This friction brake member 7l is adjustable vertically to apply a frictional force to restrain free rotation of the selector drum 52, particularly during the recovery stroke of the racking pawl 6l.

The pattern to be knit by the pattern mechanism 32 is determined by the arrangement of patterning butts 57 Von the pattern jacks 55 and the arrangement of control butts 5l on the selector jacks 33. A particular pattern is indicated in FIG. l by the areas designated 94, which are areas in which the pattern jacks 55 have no butts 57. The pattern can be varied by changing selector jacks or by changing pattern jacks or by changing both. The pattern jacks 55 are held in place on the selector drum 5?. for easy removal by an annular retaining spring 74 seated in recesses 75 in the pattern jacks 55 spaced slightly below the top plate 73, with the bottoms of the pattern jacks 55 held in place by the bottom plate 76 of the selector drum 52. Pattern jacks 55 are simply removed and 4replaced by lifting the annular retaining spring 74 and removing the jacks from the slots in the selector drum, inserting another pattern jack and replacing the spring.

In operation, the selector jacks 33 approach the pattern mechanism 32 from the right in FIGS. 2 and 3 and first engage a selector jack leveling cam 77 that raises the selector jacks to a uniform proper level for progression into the area in which the selector jacks are manipulated by the selector fingers 47. As the selector jacks 33 leave the leveling cam 77 they are engaged above their pivot points 45 by a pattern pushout cam 78 that engages all of the selector jacks and pushes them inwardly to a uniform position wherein the upper portions i3 are against the bottom 4of the needle cylinder slots 42, thereby positioning the lower portions 44 outwardly for engagement with the jack operating cam 36. This pattern pushout cam 7S is mounted for oscillation in a horizontal plane on a vertical shaft 79 and is moved in and out of operating position by an operating rod S0 controlled from the main control drum of the knitting machine. Normally the selector jack pushout cam 78 is retained in operating position (solid lines in FIG. 3), except during portions where selector jacks are not used, such as in the heel and toe portions of hosiery and other plain knit portions, during which it is positioned outwardly (dot-dash lines in FIG. 3).

After the selector jacks 33 have been uniformly positioned by the leveling cams 77 and selector jack pushout cam 7S they pass through the manipulation area in which the selector fingers 47 pivot selected selector jacks inwardly to non-operating position while the remaining selector jacks pass through the manipulation area without a change in position for engagement with the jack operating cam 36. The jack operating cam 36, in addition to being inclined in the direction of selector jack advancement, has an outward declination and the lower surface 81 of the bottom butt 46 of the selector jacks has a complementary outward declination so that the selector jacks 33 will be retained in engagement with the jack operating cam 36 against inadvertent inward pivoting.

The above described knitting machine components as well as the described operation of the components to control knitting needles for pattern knitting are conventional with the Scott & Williams, model KN machine, which is normally operated at maximum speeds in the Irange of to 200 r.p.m. when knitting with lS-denier yarn, higher speeds being impractical due to malfunctioning of the components and imperfect fabric quality. it would of course be advantageous to be able to knit at faster speeds, particularly when knitting with fine yarn, which forms small-size stitches and corresponding small fabric production during each knitting revolution. The relief of strain on the yarn provided by prior measuring in accordance with my U.S. Patent No. 3,054,278 is helpful in this regard, but even then there remain problems of strain and malfunctioning due to the rapid manipulation of the machine components, particularly with the intricate elements of a pattern mechanism.

In the development of the present invention, I discovered that the primary causes for malfunctioning and breakage of the knitting machine components and rupturing of the yarn loops are override of the selector drum 52 at high speed intermittent stepwise advancement, irregular movement of the selector jacks 33 in the area of selector finger manipulation, and the substantial centrifugal force holding the needle latches horizontally ont- Wardly against the action of the yarn loops to open and close the latches.

With regard to selector drum override, the inertia developed at high operating speeds causes the selector drum to slide under the friction brake 7l beyond proper positioning of the pattern jacks S5 for actuation of the selector fingers 47, resulting in improper manipulation of the selector jacks 33 and corresponding malfunctioning of the needles 3i).

As to the irregular movement of selector jack 33 in the area in which they are manipulated by the selector fingers 47, the selector jacks are not controlled horizontally or vertically in this area after they leave the leveling cam 77, and at high operating speeds they have a tendency to move irregularly out of proper position, resulting in some of the selector jacks being improperly positioned inwardly out of operation position or vertically displaced for manipulation improperly by the selector fingers, producing tuck stitches where they should not be and plain stitches where tuck stitches are intended.

With regard to the effect of centrifugal force in holding the latches of the needles in a horizontal outwardly extending position, the yarn is not always strong enough to overcome this force when the yarn loops must displace the latches to vertical closed or open positions as the spotter? needles are raised and lowered with the result that the yarn breaks, producing an imperfect fabric.

To overcome the above mentioned restrictions to high speed knitting, the present invention provides a stop member 82 and associated operating means for positively stopping the :advancement of the selector drum at the end of each racking pawl advance to maintain precise control of the selector nger manipulation, a stabilizing cam 83 for control of the position of the selector jacks 33 in the manipulation area so that all jacks will be uniformly in proper position for manipulation by the selector lingers 47, and an enlarged cheek construction 113 rof the needles 3G to space the yarn loops from the pivots of the latches and obtain greater leverage in manipulating the latches against the centrifugal force thereof. With these improvements a circular knitting machine is capable of reliable operation at speeds more than double those to which knitting machines have been limited heretofore. Thus when the present invention is incorporated in a Scott da Williams, model KN, machine operating speeds in the range of 400 to 450 rpm. may be easily accommodated and speeds even above 500 r.p.rn. may be tolerated without any great ditlculty.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the stop member SZ (FGS. l, 3 and 4 through 8) is attached to the machine for engagement with the selector drum 52 in the spaces 85 between adjacent pattern jacks 55 and between the selector drum top plate 73 and annular coil spring 7d. The stop member 32 extends inwardly toward the selector drum 52 from a mounting base 86 secured to the underside of one arm 89 of a bell crank plate 87 pivoted in a horizontal plane on an existing post d8 that extends between the lower bed plate 49 and upper bed plate 53 adjacent the selector drum 52. The bell crank plate 37 is oscillated by an operating rod 9i? attached to the other arm 91 of the bell crank plate S7. This operating rod 9d extends to the aforementioned connesting rod 66 that operates the racking pawl di to advance the drum, and is pivotally connected thereto for manipulation therewith for complementary operation of the stop member 82 with the racking pawl 61.

The stroke of the operating rod 96 is adjusted so that at the end of movement to the left in FIG. 3 the operating rod @d will have pivoted the bell crank plate S7 to position the stop member 82 fully in the space 85 between adjacent pattern jacks 55 to stop positively the advancement of the selector drum 52 (see FlG. 7), and when the operating rod is at the end of its stroke in the right hand direction of HG. 3 it will have oscillated the bell crank plate 87 to position the stop member 82 fully out of the space 85 to permit advancement of the selector drum 52 (see FlG. 5). As the operating rod 9@ oscillates the stop member S2 through the bell crank plate d'7, the stop member moves in timed relation with the racking pawl 6l, but in the reverse direction. Thus when the racking pawl 6l is moving to the left in FlG. 3 to advance the selector drum 52 the stop member will be moving to the right toward the space S5 between pattern jacks 55'. The outermost position of the stop member g2 is spaced a substantial distance from the pattern jacks S5 so that during about half of the inward stroke of the stop member, which is the same as the drum advancinsT stroke of the racking pawl 6l, the stop member will not intersect the path of the advancing pattern jacks 55. Further, the stop member is formed with a relieved entering end 92 that is relieved outwardly in the direction of pattern jack advancement so that'as the stop member enters the space Se' it will not strike the leading pattern jack that has not as yet been advanced fully past the stop member. This relationship of the elements is shown in FIG. 6.

To provide irm `and positive positioning of the selector drum 52 in proper stopped position, the stop member S2 is formed of a width substantially equivalent to the width of the space $5 so that little or no movement of the selector drum is possible.

The stop member 82 has a straight jack engaging edge 93 extending radially with respect to the selector drum 52,. This straight edge 93 faces the trailing pattern jack 'and maintains contact therewith as the stop member S2 moves out of the space 85, thus maintaining the selector drum 52 in stopped position for a dcinite dwell period that includes the initial portion of the recovery stroke of the racking pawl 6l (see FIG. 8).

To maintain the stop member 82 in proper vertical alignment with the pattern jacks 55 and the spaces 85 therebetween when the stop member is out of the spaces, the bell crank plate S7 is formed with both of its arms S9 and ill extending in overlapping relation with the top plate 73 of the selector drum so that when the stop member S2 is even in its outermost position the bell crank plate arms will overlap the top plate. This insures proper positioning of the stop member with respect to the spaces to facilitate proper functioning at high speeds.

Further, the selector drum 52 is prevented from reverse movement during the recovery stroke of the racking pawl di; by a locking pawl 67 mounted on a bracket 68 on the lower bed plate 49 and maintained in contact with the rack wheel d2 of the selector drum by a spring 69 extending from the locking pawl 67 to the bracket 68.

The aforementioned friction brake 7l functions now to restrain initial movement at the beginning of each drum advancement so that the drum will not be instantly jerked farther ahead of the space wherein the stop member 32 is to engage.

As is apparent from the above description the stop member S2 is manipulated for functioning with the existing arrangement of knitting machine components and is operated by an existing operating element. Thus the stop member mechanism of the present invention is readily adaptable to an existing knitting machine and may "oe attached thereto with little labor and expense.

The positive stepwise advancement of the selector drum S2 accomplished Iby the combination of the action of the racking pawl l and the stop member S2 provides positive control ot the selector lingers 47 at high speeds in response to the pattern indications 9d of the pattern jacks 55 carried by the selector drum 52 which in turn provides positive control of manipulation of the selector jacks 33 by the selector ingers 47 in precise response to the pattern indications 94. This precise control of the manipulation of the selector fingers resulting from the stop member construction combines with the positive and proper positioning of the selector jacks 33 4accomplished by the stabilizing cam 33 of the present invention to provide positive and precise high speed control of the needles 30 in response to the selector pattern.

The stabilizing cam S3, as seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 9, is mounted after the selector jack leveling cam 7'7 for control of the selector jacks 33 after they leave the leveling cam. Both the leveling cam 77 and the stabilizing cam S3 are mounted on a common ring bracket 95 in an annular recess 96 formed in the inner face 97 of the lower bed plate 49.

The leveling cam 77 has a leading inclined surface 93 for initial contact with selector jacks 33 as they advance from the right in FIGS. 2 and 3. This leading inclined surface 93 extends from below the normal level of the selector jacks to assure engagement of all selector jacks and extends upwardly to a level slightly below the desired level of the selector jacks for manipulation by the selector fingers 47. Extending from the upper end of this leading inclined surface in a flat top surface 99 that terminates a slight distance in advance of the area in which the selector jacks are manipulated by the above mentioned pattern pushout cam 78. This flat top surface 99 assures leveling of the selector jacks after they have been raised by the leading inclined surface 98.

Further, the leveling cam 77 has .a short terminal surface ltlil relieved downwardly from the trailing end of the flat top surface 99 at a declination of approximately 45 in the embodiment illustrated. This terminal surface 100 is provided for engagement of irregularly positioned selector jacks during reciprocation in the reverse direction to raise the selector jacks to the level of the top surface 99, and ends at a point slightly in advance of the selector jack contacting surface lill of the pattern pushout cam '78 so as not to interfere with manipulation of selector jacks by the pattern pushout cam.

The leveling cam 77 is positioned to extend inwardly toward the selector jacks for positioning the selector jacks in their inward position with the lower portions d4 of the selector jacks against the Ibottoms of the needle cylinder slots 42 (see FIGS. l0 and ll).

The stabilizing cam 83 extends from the end of the terminal surface lil@ of the leveling cam 77 and is offset outwardly as at 102 above a mounting base llfli. This offset 3.02 is displaced outwardly with respect to the leveling cam 77 to permit selector jacks to be manipulated outwardly by the pattern pushout cam '78 'to position the upper portions 43 of the selector jacks 33 against the bottom of the needle cylinder slots 42, in which position the selector jacks are controlled by the stabilizing cam S3.

The stabilizing cam S3 has an initial upwardly inclined surface lll- 5 extending from the end of the terminal surface lflfl upwardly at a slight inclination in the direction of selector jack advancement to a point slightly in advance of the area in which the selector jacks are manipulated by the selector fingers 47. Thus this initial surface 194 extends through the area in which the selector jacks are manipulated by the pattern pushout cam 78. As the inwardly positioned leveling cam 77 must terminate in advance of the jack contacting surface lill of the pattern pushout cam 78 so as not to interfere with the outward manipulation of the selector jacks by the pattern pushout cam, there is a possibility that some selector jacks moving unpredictably at a high speeds contemplated by the present invention will be irregularly displaced downwardly out of the position at which they have been leveled by the leveling cam 77 before they are acted on by the pushout cam 78. By the present invention, the downward relief formed by the declining terminal surface 16? of the leveling cam 77 and the low position of the beginning point of the initial surface 194 of the stabilizing cam 83 below the top surface of the levelling cam accommodates receipt of such irregularly disposed selector jacks as they are manipulated by the pattern pushout cam 7S, thereby assuring engagement of the outwardly positioned selector jacks by the selector jack engaging and positioning initial surface lila of the stabilizing cam 83. Thus high speed operation can be accommodated without malfunction of the selector jack manipulation.

This initial selector jack engaging and positioning surface lil-4.- has an outward declination for locking engagement with the similarly outwardly declined lower surface of the bottom butts 46 -of the selector jacks 33 so that as the selector jacks advance along this engaging and positioning surface lil@ and are retained in contact therewith due to the inclination of the surface in the direction of selector jack advancement, the complementary engagement of the select-or jack butts 46 on the outwardly declined surface will prevent the selector jacks from moving inwardly and thus will retain them for proper position for manipulation by the selector fingers 47. This eclination combined with the aforementioned inclination further acts to complete outward positioning of selector jacks that have been incompletely pushed out as the butts of these jacks will be forced outwardly by the complementary declination of the surface and butts as they progress up the surface.

To .assure proper positioning of the selector jacks by the pattern pushout cams 73, the jack contacting surface lll@ of the cam extends for a substantial distance in the direction of selector jack advancement, and to assure engagement of selector jacks by the engaging and positioning surface 1634i of the stabilizing cam S3 to properly position the selector jacks for presentation to the area of l@ selector finger manipulation, the engaging and positioning surface MM of the stabilizing cam S3 extends throughout the engaging area of the pushout cam 78 to a level slightly higher than the level of the flat top surface 99 of the leveling cam 77. Thus the initial surface lim of the stabilizing cam 83 engages and positions all selector jacks including those irregularly displaced vertically in the area of manipulation by the pattern pushout 'cam 78 as well as `those that remain at the proper level to which they have been raised by the leveling cam.

Extending from the upper end of the initial engaging and positioning surface 104 the stabilizing cam 83 has a level, stabilizing surface 105. This stabilizing surface 1% extends at the aforementioned level of the upper end of the engaging and positioning surface 1M, which is slightly higher than the top surface 99 of the preceding leveling cam 77, through the area in which the selector jacks are manipulated by the selector lingers 47, and is flat, having no outward declination as does the engaging and positioning surface 104i, so as to facilitate movement of the selector jack bottom butts 46 off of the stabilizing surface as selector jacks 33 are manipulated to inward position against the bottoms of the needle cylinder slots 42. Also, this flat surface results in an additional raising of the selector jacks as the outer tips of the jack butts 46 will contact the flat surface and the inner portions of the butts will be spaced above the surface due to the declination of the butts. However, if desired to obtain even firmer positive control of selector jack manipulation, this stabilizing surface 105 may also be formed with an outward declination similar to that of the engaging and positioning surface 104 so that the selector lingers 47 must push the selected jacks up the declination and the jacks not selected will be retained in proper position by the declination.

The stabilizing cam 83 is followed by the jack operating cam 36, which is mounted on a bracket 106 on the lower bed plate 49 in line with the stabilizing cam and offset outwardly similar to the offset of the stabilizing cam S3 so as to engage and operate only those selector jacks that have not been manipulated inwardly to nonoperating position by the selector lingers 47, with the selec- 'tor jacks that have been manipulated to non-operating position passing inwardly of the jack operating cam 36 without manipulation thereby so that the associated cylinder jacks 35 and needles 30 remain in their lower nonrising position.

The manipulation of the selector jacks 33 by the above described leveling cam 77, stabilizing cam 83, selector fingers 47 and jack operating cam 36 is illustrated progressively in FIGS. l0 through l5. Thus, FlG. 10 illustrates a selector jack as it advances from the right in FIGS. 2 and 3, and initially advances to position its bottom butt 46 in contact with the leading inclined surface 98 of the leveling cam 77 and rides up thereon. The selector jacks are raised by this leading inclined surface 98 to the level of the flat top surface 99, which levels the selector jacks at this height as the selector jacks continue across the flat top surface 99 as shown in FlG. ll. As the selector jacks leave the flat top surface 99, they are acted on by the pattern pushout cam 7S that engages all of the selector jacks above their pivot points 45 and pivots the upper portions 43 inwardly and the lower portions 44 outwardly, with irregularly displaced selector jacks being accommodated by the low level of the stabilizing cam S3 at this point. This position of the elements is shown in FIG.` l2, with the location of a selector jack prior to manipulation by the pattern pushout cam shown in dot-dash lines.

While the selector jack pushout cam 73 remains in contact with the selector jacks over an extended distance to assure proper positioning of the selector jacks, the bottom butts loof the selector jacks are engaged by the engaging and positioning surface 104 of the stabilizing cam 83 with the complementary declination of the cam surface and jack butts combining to retain the selector jacks in proper position on the cam as shown in FIG. 13. The slight rise in this engaging and positioning surface 104 assures contact with the selector jack butts to properly position the selector jacks for presentation to the selector finger manipulation area in which the butts are in contact with the iiat stabilizing surface 105 to maintain them in proper position while permitting the selector finger 47 to manipulate selected jacks inwardly to non-operating position as shown in solid lines in FIG. 14. The dot-dash lines in FIG. 14 illustrate the position of selector jacks that have not been manipulated and remain in operating position for engagement with the jack operating cam 36.`

As the selector jacks leave the stabilizing cam 83 those selector jacks that have been selected and manipulated outwardly to non-operating position pass the jack operating cam 36 inwardly thereof as shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. l so that these selector jacks will not be operated to raise their associated cylinder jacksV 35 for raising the associated needles, thereby retainingthe yarn loops on the needle latches (see FIG. 17). The butts of these non-operating needles remain at the level shown in FIG. 15. Those selector jacks that have not been manipulated inwardly by the selector fingers remain with their bottom butts 46 outwardly for engagement by the jack operating cam 36 with Vthe complementary declination of the butts and cam surface resulting in retention of the selector jacks in operating engagement with the jack operating cam as it raises the selector jacks to raise the cylinder jacks 35, thereby causing the cylinder jacks 35 to raise the selected needles above the side cam 39 until the open needle latches pass out of the loops. V

Thus the stabilizing cam S3 of the present invention, in combination with the stop member construction 82, provides positive control of the selector jacks for proper positioning to control manipulation of needles without malfunctioning of the elements even at veryhigh speeds.

In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the forward end of the engaging and positioning surface 104 of the stabilizing cam 83 is approximately 119,2" below the level of the flat top surface and has a total rise of approximately 1/16 so that the flat stabilizing lsurface 105 of the stabilizing cam is approximately 1&2" above the flat top surface 99 of the leveling cam 77. Further the offset 102 of the stabilizing cam is approximately Mgg from the face ofthe leveling cam 77, with the thickness of the leveling cam and the thiclo ness of the mounting base 103 ofthe stabilizing cam being approximately ls" thick. It should be understood that these dimensions are provided simply by way of example and variations in these dimensions may be made with suitable results in this machine and in other types and makes of machines.

The needles 30, that are positively controlled for high speed manipulation to knit pattern fabric by the pattern mechanism 32 having the improved stop member 82 and stabilizing cam 83 incorporated therein to provide high speed operation with lreliable results, is illustrated in FIGS. 16 through 20. When one of these needles is raised by the action of the selector jack 33 and cylinder jack 35 as the selector jack rises on the jack operating cam 36 it moves up through the previously drawn yarn loop 107 with the yarn loop passing over the open needle latch 108 (FIG. 17) and the needle continues to rise until the yarn loop is completely below the needle latch so that upon subsequent downward movement of the needle the yarn loop will act under the needle latch 108 to raise the needle latch to closed position with the yarn loop passing over the outside of the closed latch (FIG. 18) and ultimately being shed from the end of the needle.

The selected needles corresponding to the selector jacks thatrhave been pivoted bythe selector fingers to non-operating position remain at the level of FIG. 17, so that the yarn loops do not pass completely off of the needle latches 108 and upon subsequent lowering ofthe needles the yarn loops will be caught by the hooks 109 99 of the leveling cam 77 1 2 of the needles to form a tucked stitch, such as the tucked loop 110 in FIG. 19.

During manipulation of the needles 30, the yarn loops manipulate the needle latches 108 to open them fully to the position of FIG. 17 and subsequently to closeV them fully to the position of FIG. 18. However, when the knitting machine is operated at high speedA the centrifugal force developed by the speed of rotation forces the needle latches to outwardly extending horizontal positions halfway between fully closed andrfully opened positions (see FiG. 16). This centrifugal force must necessarily be overcome in order to move the Vneedle latches to open or closed positions and the force to overcome thecentrifugal force must be applied by the yarn loops themselves. For example,the loop indicated in dot-dash lines in FIG. 16 moves downwardly on the needle 30 as the needle rises, first passing over the cheek portion 112 and then engaging the horizontally positioned neeedle latch 103, which must be pulled downwardly to a fully opened position as the needle progresses upwardly through the loop. Similarly, during subsequent downward movement of the needle 30 the yarn loop 107 in FIG. 16 first moves up on the cheek'portion 112 and then into engagement with the horizontally disposed needle latch 108, and as the needle continues downwardly the yarn loop must pull the needleV latch 10S toa fullyclosed position against the centrifugal'force tending to hold the needle latch outwardly. The strain on the yarn loop, particularly when knitting with fine yarns, such as lS-denier yarn, may be so great as toV cause rupturing of the yarn when a substantial centrifugal force is developed due to` substantial high operating speeds..

To reduce the strain on the yarn loops in manipulating the needle latches the needle of the prefer-red embodiment` ofthe present invention is constructed as shown in FIGS. 16, 17 and 18 with the cheek portion having an outwardly displaced cheek surface 113 that is spaced substantially from the pivot 114 of the needle latch 108 -in the cheek portion 112, as compared with conventional knitting machine needles. This outward displacement of the cheek surface 113 increases the spacing of the yarn loop from the latch pivot 114 as the yarn loop engages the needle latch to move it upwardly to closed position or downwardly to open position. This results in a substantial moment arm for the application of leverage by the yarn loop against the needle latch such that less force must be provided by the yarn loop to manipulate the latch than is necessary with a conventional needle wherein the yarn loop engages the needle latch substantially closer to the pivot.

To further increase the moment arm of the yarn loop as it acts against the needle latch, the latch pivot 114 in the embodiment illustrated is offset inwardly toward the opposite edge of the needle from the cheek surface 113. In the embodiment illustrated the cheek surface 113 is enlarged by forming lthe cheek portion V112 of a thickness of approximately 0.040, which is about one-third thicker than a conventional needle. Also the latch pivot 114 is onset inwardly approximately 0.002 or 0.003 from the latch pivot position of a conventional needle. The total result is a moment arm of 0.028 as compared with a conventionalV moment arm of 0.015", or almost twice the length, thereby requiring little more than half the strength of yarn as heretofore and substantially eliminating this cause of yarn breakage. Y

This needle 30 of the present invention is further formed with a downwardly elongated hook portion 109 to positively retain yarn therein during highV speed pattern knitting. At high speeds the yarn loops, particularly the tucked loops, such as loop 110 in FIG. 19, move irregularly due to the speed to rotation and have a tendency to move out of the conventional hook,jwhich extends downwardly only as indicated approximately in dotdash lines in FIG. 19. Also the new loop 11S being formed in the hook of FIGS. 17 and 191s loose due to prior measuring according to my aforementioned US. Patent No. 3,054,278, as are the loops 116 for plain stitches in FlGS. 16 and 17, all of which loose loops are susceptible to escape from the hook 109 to form a float stitch and an imperfect fabric. This is accentuated in forming the enlarged welt loops 120 illust-rated in FIG. 20.

The elongation of the hook of the illustrated embodiment is approximately 0.015 longer than a conventional needle hook. This is an increase of about one half or more of the inner yarn engaging length (0026") of a conventional hook.

The combination of the outwardly enlarged cheek surface 113, the inwardly offset latch pivot 114 and the elongated hook portion 109 produces positive results in knitting fabrics at high speeds, and particularly provides results heretofore unaccomplished when knitting patterns at high speeds. In addition, this needle construction also produces advantageous results with plain knitting at high speeds as the problem of overcoming the centrifugal force of the needle latch in opening and closing the latch is present during plain knitting at high speed, and the problem of retaining the loop in the needle hook is present, though possibly to a lesser extent, in plain knitting. For example, on a KN type machine in knitting the welt portions of hosiery there is little or no take-down and loops will be free to move about in the needle hook portions 109, such that the centrifugal force of the rotating loops and other causes for irregular movement of the loops at high speeds may cause the loops to move outwardly to the extent that they would pass out of the hook resulting in drop stitches, were it not for the elongation thereof. rThe movement of loops in the hooks is accentuated when the yarn is measured prior to drawing as disclosed and claimed in my aforementioned prior U.S. Patent No. 3,054,278, wherein a measured length of yarn is released by the sinkers so that the yarn 116 (FlG. 19) is loosely positioned in the hook 115 and could move outwardly and pass out of the hook were it not for the elongation thereof.

From the above description it is apparent that the stop member construction, stabilizing cam construction, and needle construction of the present invention combine to provide advantageous control and manipulation of the knitting machine components such that pattern knitting can be accomplished at strikingly high speeds.

It should be understood that the present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and various modifications and variations in details of construction and operation of the stop member, stabilizing cam and needle to accomplish similar results are contemplated within the scope of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An improvement for providing effective high speed pattern knitting with a circular knitting machine of the type wherein needles are controlled for knitting a pattern by selector jacks carried on the needle cylinder and manipulated by selector fingers that are actuated selectively in a predetermined pattern, said improvement comprising a stabilizing cam fixed on the knitting machine adjacent said selector jacks in advance of and through the area in which the selector jacks are selectively manipulated by said selector fingers, said stabilizing cam having an inclined selector jack engaging and positioning surface in advance of said manipulation area for engagement of the selector jacks to position them positively for presentation of the selector jacks in proper position as they enter the manipulation area during high speed operation, and said stabilizing cam having a generally horizontal stabilizing surface through said manipulation area to stabilize the selector jacks in said proper position as they pass through said area and are selectively manipulated by said selector fingers during high speed operation.

2. An improvement for providing effective high speed pattern knitting with a circular knitting machine according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said selector jack engaging and positioning surface of said stabilizing cam is initially spaced downwardly below normal selector jack engagement for receipt of irregularly positioned selector jacks.

3. An improvement for providing effective high speed pattern knitting with a circular knitting machine according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said inclined engaging and positioning surface of said stabilizing cam has an outward declination away from vsaid selector jacks and said selector jacks have complementary outwardly declining surfaces for engagement with said declining cam surface to provide positive retention of the selector jacks in engagement with the engaging and positioning surface of the stabilizing cam.

d. An improvement for providing effective high speed pattern knitting with a circular knitting machine of the type wherein needles are controlled for knitting a pattern by selector jacks carried on the needle cylinder and manipulated by selector fingers that are actuated selectively by a selector drum that intermittently advances stepwise for actuation of selector fingers in a predetermined pattern, said improvement comprising a stabilizing cam fixed on the knitting machine adjacent said selector jacks in advance of and through the area in which the selector jacks are selectively manipulated by said selector fingers, said stabilizing cam having a selector jack engaging and positioning surface in advance of said manipulation area for engagement of the selector jacks to position them positively for presentation of the selector jacks in proper position as they enter the manipulation area during high speed operation, said stabilizing cam having a stabilizing surface extending from said engaging and positioning surface through said manipulation area to stabilize the selector jacks in said proper position as they pass through said area and are selectively manipulated during high speed operation, said selector drum having a peripheral series of recesses corresponding in number to the number of stepwise advancements of the selector drum in one revolution thereof, a stop member movable into said recesses for positively stopping advancement of said selector drum and movable to a position out of said recesses to allow advancement of said selector drum, and means for moving said stop member in cornplementary timed relation with respect to said drum advancement to effect positive stepwise advancement of said selector drum at high speeds without override and thereby provide with said stabilizing cam positive, high speed, pattern control of the knitting needles.

5. An improvement for providing effective high speed pattern knitting with a circular knitting machine of the type wherein needles are controlled for knitting a pattern by selector jacks carried on the needle cylinder and manipulated by selector fingers that are actuated selectively by a selector drum that intermittently advances stepwise for actuation of selector fingers in a predetermined pattern, said improvement comprising a peripheral series of recesses formed in said selector drum, said recesses corresponding in number to the number of stepwise advancements of the selector drum in one revolution thereof, a stop member movable into said recesses for positively stopping advancement of said selector drum and movable to a position out of said resses to allow advancement of said selector drum, and means for moving said stop member in complementary timed relation with respect to said drum advancement to effect positive stepwise advancement of said selector drum at high speeds without override and thereby provide positive, high speed, pattern control.

6. An improvement for providing effective high speed knitting with a circular knitting machine of the type wherein needles are controlled for knitting a pattern by selector jacks carried on the needle cylinder and manipulated by selector tingers that are actuated selectively by a selector drum that is intermittently advanced stepwise by reciprocating operating means to position the selector drum sequentially for actuation of selector lingers in a predetermined pattern, said improvement comprising a peripheral series of recesses formed in said selector drum, said recesses corresponding in number to the number of stepwise advancements of the selector drum in one revolution thereof, a stop member movable into said recesses for positively stopping advancement of said selector drum and movable to a position out of said recesses to allow advancement of said selector drum, and means connecting said stop member to said reciprocating drum operating means for operation of said stop member in complementary timed relation to operation of said selector drum to effect positive stepwise advancement of said selector drum at high speeds without override and thereby provide positive, high speed, pattern control.

7. An improvement for providing effective high speed pattern knitting with a circular knitting machine of the type wherein needles are controlled for knitting a pattern by selector jacks carried on the needle cylinder and manipulated by selector iingers that are actuated selectively by a series of spaced pattern jacks carried by a selector drum that intermittently advances stepwise to position the pattern jacks sequentially for actuation of selector iingers in a predetermined pattern, said improvement comprising a stop member movable into a position between adjacent pattern jacks on the selector drum for positively stopping advancement of said selector drum and movable to a position away from said pattern jacks to allow advancement of said selector drum, and means for moving said stop member in complementary timed relation with respect to said drum advancement to etect positive stepwise advancement of said selector drum at high speeds without override and thereby provide positive, high speed, pattern control.

8. An improvement for providing effective high speed pattern knitting with a circular knitting machine according to claim 7 and characterized further in that the width of said stop member is substantially equivalent to the width of the spacing between pattern jacks for positive retention of the selector drum in proper stopped position, and the entering end of the stop member is relieved adjacent the leading pattern jack to facilitate unobstructed movement of said stop member into the space between pattern jacks prior to completion of advancement of said selector drum.

9. An improvement for providing elfect-ive high speed pattern knitting with a circular knitting machine of the type wherein needles are controlled for knitting a pattern by selector jacks carried on the needle cylinder and manipulated by selector lingers that are actuated selectively by a selector drum that intermittently advances stepwise for actuation of selector lingers in a predetermined pattern, said improvemnt comprising a stabilizing cam fixed on the knitting machine adjacent said selector jacks in advance of and through the area in which'the selector jacks are selectively manipulated by said selector fingers, said stabilizing cam having a selector jack engaging and positioning surface in advance of said manipulation area for engagement of the selector jacks to position them positively for presentation of the selector jacks in proper position as they enter the manipulation area during high speed operation, said stabilizing cam having a stabilizing surface extending from said engaging and positioning surface through said manipulation area to stabilize the selector jacks in said proper position as they pass through said area and are selectively manipulated during high speed operation, said selector drum having a peripheral series of recesses corresponding in number to the number of stepwise advancements of the selector drum in one revolution thereof, a stop member movable into said recesses for positively stopping advancement of said selector drum and movable to a position out of said recesses to allow advancement of said selector drum, means for moving said stop member in complementary timed relation with respect to said drum advancement to effect positive stepwise advancement of said selector drum at high speeds without override and thereby provide with said stabilizing cam positive, high speed, pattern control of the knitting needles, said needles having latches pivoted at cheek portions for pivoting outwardly of the needles between open and closed positions adjacent the needles, and said cheek portions having enlarged surfaces substantially displaced outwardly of the latch pivots to provide substantial leverage for yarn loops to overcome the centrifugal force urging the latches outwardly at high operating speeds as the yarn loops pass over said cheek portion surfaces to open and close the latches.

10. An improvement for providing effective high speed pattern knitting with a circular knittingmachine of the type wherein needles are controlled for knitting a pattern by selector jacks carried on the-needle cylinder and manipulated by selector ngers that are actuated selectively in a predetermined pattern, said improvement comprising a stabilizing cam fixed on the knitting machineY adjacent said selector jacks in advance of and through the area in which the selector jacks are selectivelymanipulated by said selector lingers, said stabilizing cam having a selector jack engaging and positioning surface in. advance of said manipulation area for engagement ofthe selector jacks to position them positively for presentation of the selector jacks in proper position as they enter the manipulation area during high speed operation, saidstabilizing cam having a stabilizing surface extending from saidengaging and positioning surface through said manipulation area to stabilize the selector jacks in said proper position as they pass through said area and are selectively manipulated during high speed operation, and thereby provide positive, high speed, pattern control of the knitting needles, said needles having latches pivoted at cheek portions for pivoting outwardly of `the needles between open and closed positions adjacent the needles, and said cheek portions having enlarged surfaces substantially displaced outwardly of the latch pivots to provide substantial leverage for yarn loops to overcome the centrifugal force urging the latches outwardly at high operating speeds as the yarn loops pass over said cheek portion surfaces to open and close the latches.

References Cited by the Examiner UNTED STATES PATENTS Re. 17,705 7/ 30 Ames 66-50 1,629,275 5 27 Kennedy 66-121 1,722,989 8/29 Ames 66-50A 2,340,049 1/ 44 Fregeolle 66-50 2,516,697 7/50 Haddad 66-50 2,726,525 12/55 Haddad 66-50 2,849,872 9/58 Minton 66-121 3,063,269 11/62 Losert et al. 66-50 X RUSSELL C. MADER, Primary Examiner, 

4. AN IMPROVEMENT FOR PROVIDING EFFECTIVE HIGH SPEED PATTERN KNITTING WITH A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE OF THE TYPE WHEREIN NEEDLES ARE CONTROLLED FOR KNITTING A PATTERN BY SELECTOR JACKS CARRIED ON THE NEEDLE CYLINDER AND MANIPULATED BY SELECTOR FINGERS THAT ARE ACTUATED SELECTIVELY BY A SELECTOR DRUM THAT INTERMITTENTLY ADVANCES STEPWISE FOR ACTUATION OF SELECTOR FINGERS IN A PREDETERMINED PATTERN, SAID IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A STABILIZING CAM FIXED ON THE KNITTING MACHINE ADJACENT SAID SELECTOR JACKS IN ADVANCE OF AND THROUGH THE AREA IN WHICH THE SELECTOR JACKS ARE SELECTIVELY MANIPULATED BY SAID SELECTOR FINGERS, SAID STABILIZING CAM HAVING A SELECTOR JACK ENGAGING AND POSITIONING SURFACE IN ADVANCE OF SAID MANIPULATION AREA FOR ENGAGEMENT OF THE SELECTOR JACKS TO POSITION THEM POSITIVELY FOR PRESENTATION OF THE SELECTOR JACKS IN PROPER POSITION AS THEY ENTER THE MANIPULATION AREA DURING HIGH SPEED OPERATION, SAID STABILIZING CAM HAVING A STABILIZING SURFACE EXTENDING FROM SID ENGAGING AND POSITIONING SURFACE THROUGH SAID MANIPULATION AREA TO STABILIZE THE SELECTOR JACKS IN SAID PROPER POSITION AS THEY PASS THROUGH SAID AREA AND ARE SELECTIVELY MANIPULATED DURING HIGH SPEED OPERATION, SAID SELECTOR DRUM HAVING A PERIPHERAL SERIES OF RECESSES CORRESPONDING IN NUMBER TO THE NUMBER OF STEPWISE ADVANCEMENTS OF THE SELECTOR DRUM IN ONE REVOLUTION THEROEF, A STOP MEMBER MOVABLE INTO SAID RECESSES FOR POSITIVELY STOPPING ADVANCEMENT OF SAID SELECTOR DRUM AND MOVABLE TO A POSITION OUT OF SAID RECESSES TO ALLOW ADVANCEMENT OF SAID SELECTOR DRUM, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAIS STOP MEMBER IN COMPLEMENTARY TIMED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID DRUM ADVANCEMENT TO EFFECT POSITIVE STEPWISE ADVANCE OF SAID SELECTOR DRUM AT HIGH SPEEDS WITHOUT OVERRIDE AND THEREBY PROVIDE WITH SAID STABILIZING CAM POSITIVE, HIGH SPEED, PATTERN CONTROL OF THE KNITTING NEEDLES. 